[lpwcomp]

Additional info on MPEG2 TS .tivo transfer problem:

TiVo reports size of original recording as 4.31GB. Duration is 1h4m.

File explorer details view reports size of .tivo file as 4.43GB but properties has it as 4.22GB.

Decrypted .ts file is 4.44GB and 4.23GB.

pyTivo has .tivo as 4.51GB.

If I check the size on the TiVo while the transfer is in progress before it fails, TiVo reports it as 4.8GB.

If I start playing it during transfer, the TiVo will end up with a 12min, 0.96GB recording.

I transferred it twice and the second time I checked the size before I got to the end of the recording and the TiVo reported it as 4.76GB. When I skipped to the end, this changed to 0.96.

 

[Dan203]

Do you have VideoReDo? If so open the original .tivo file in VRD and look around the 12 minute mark. Is there anything weird there? Corruption? Perhaps a resolution change during a transition to a commercial break? Some sort of PID shift?

 

[lpwcomp]

Do you have VideoReDo? If so open the original .tivo file in VRD and look around the 12 minute mark. Is there anything weird there? Corruption? Perhaps a resolution change during a transition to a commercial break? Some sort of PID shift?

I was in the middle of editing my prior post when you made this one. I was going to add the following:

I used VRD to look at the .tivo file and there is a serious "glitch" in the recording at the 12:34 mark. It put VRD into a split-second playback loop, but the time keeps advancing. If I leave it in this loop, eventually VRD stops responding.

 

[Dan203]

Try running the file through QSF and transfer the fixed version. Does that complete?

 

[lpwcomp]

Try running the file through QSF and transfer the fixed version. Does that complete?

This conversation is getting very TZish. While I haven't' tried to xfer it, I did use VRD to look at the VRD decrypted file and while there is no obvious "glitch", there are obvious missing frames as it "jumps" a split second.

Based on prior experience, I'm fairly certain that this file will xfer with no problems.

 

[Wil]

...my *FIRST* printer was an old 150+ lb teletype machine; 300 baud RS-232...

At least you had RS232. My original-run Apple II did not and I had to rig a brute force connection for my first salvaged teletype. Plus write my own ascii-to-baudot code. The good old days.

 

[Dan203]

This conversation is getting very TZish. While I haven't' tried to xfer it, I did use VRD to look at the VRD decrypted file and while there is no obvious "glitch", there are obvious missing frames as it "jumps" a split second.

Based on prior experience, I'm fairly certain that this file will xfer with no problems.

So this error has nothing to do with pyTivo then. It's a glitch in the recording that's causing it to fail to transfer back. Not much I can do about that.

 

[sar840t2]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post (463) about "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size". This conversation is moving too fast for me to keep up with all the replies.

I had TS vs. PS in the back of my mind as a possible culprit, and knew that one had been recommended over the other, but I couldn't remember which and a search for "ts" or "ps" even just in this thread produced so many results I didn't have the patience to wade through them.

Yes, I was using TS (I'm an "accept the defaults" kind of guy)
No, I don't have TiVo Desktop running
I have now turned off decryption since it's not the culprit

I was going to disable TS format, but got a warning "If you attempt to download a show from an MPEG-4 channel with the MPEG-TS option unchecked the resulting file will be unusable". I don't think there's a way in pyTivo Desktop to identify whether a given recording is MPEG-4 or MPEG2, so I don't think I'm going to be able to just "set it and forget it".

Anyway, I just wanted to respond (since I hate it when I give someone useful information and they don;t respond).

 

[Dan203]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post (463) about "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size". This conversation is moving too fast for me to keep up with all the replies.

I had TS vs. PS in the back of my mind as a possible culprit, and knew that one had been recommended over the other, but I couldn't remember which and a search for "ts" or "ps" even just in this thread produced so many results I didn't have the patience to wade through them.

Yes, I was using TS (I'm an "accept the defaults" kind of guy)
No, I don't have TiVo Desktop running
I have now turned off decryption since it's not the culprit

I was going to disable TS format, but got a warning "If you attempt to download a show from an MPEG-4 channel with the MPEG-TS option unchecked the resulting file will be unusable". I don't think there's a way in pyTivo Desktop to identify whether a given recording is MPEG-4 or MPEG2, so I don't think I'm going to be able to just "set it and forget it".

Anyway, I just wanted to respond (since I hate it when I give someone useful information and they don;t respond).

I've looked at every possible angle and there is nothing in the TiVo XML or even the TiVo header that identifies the codec used in the file. I might be able to wait for a bit of the program to download and then check the video portion of the file to determine the codec, and then automatically kill the download and restart it as a TS if it's MPEG-4. Not sure how practical that is in python though. I'm not experienced enough with the language to know if it can do the bit level reading needed to determine that. It would be so much easier if TiVo just put a flag in the XML that listed the codec.

 

[lpwcomp]

I just completed a test where I used tivolibre to decrypt the .tivo file. The decrypted file downloads fully to the TiVo. Size is reported as 4.19GB and length as 1h3m. There is a visible glitch at the 12:34 mark, but it doesn't cause a real problem. There may be other glitches but I don't actually watch the show so I will most likely will never know.

In conclusion, this is not a pyTivo problem and there is nothing that can be done. But you do not have to discard all of those recordings that you previously d/l'd in TS format.

 

[Dan203]

That's good to know that it works after being decrypted.

 

[KDragon]

Rookie question 1: I want to transfer protected shows from my old Series 3 to my new Bolt. Is pyTivo the right tool? Will it handle copyright files? I installed pyTivo the old way, and am able to see my Series 3 via the web interface. However, many of my recordings are marked with the red slash circle, I assume these are copyright. How can I move them from the Series 3 to my new Bolt?

Q2: I later downloaded and installed the new pyTivo desktop app (Win 10). I gave it the MAK and Tivo recordings folder path, but left everything else defaults. It can't find any tivos. Any ideas why?

Thanks!

 

[lpwcomp]

Rookie question 1: I want to transfer protected shows from my old Series 3 to my new Bolt. Is pyTivo the right tool? Will it handle copyright files? I installed pyTivo the old way, and am able to see my Series 3 via the web interface. However, many of my recordings are marked with the red slash circle, I assume these are copyright. How can I move them from the Series 3 to my new Bolt?

You can't. Copy protected recordings can't be copied. BTW, copyright is not the same. Pretty much everything you record is copyrighted. A copyright is issued by the government. Copy protection is controlled by your cable company.

 

[aaronwt]

If the shows are copy protected then transfers are prohibited.

 

[Mikeguy]

BTW, copyright is not the same. Pretty much everything you record is copyrighted. A copyright is issued by the government.

In the U.S., the government issues a copyright registration, upon an application and proper entitlement. Copyright itself exists, assuming the entitlement, when the work first is expressed in a tangible means.

 

[lpwcomp]

In the U.S., the government issues a copyright registration, upon an application and proper entitlement. Copyright itself exists, assuming the entitlement, when the work first is expressed in a tangible means.

Doesn't alter my point. Also, it's much more difficult to prove copyright infringement if said infringement occurs prior to registration.

 

[Mikeguy]

Doesn't alter my point. Also, it's much more difficult to prove copyright infringement if said infringement occurs prior to registration.

Was just correcting as to the nature of copyright, which is important to note: one needn't do anything to have legal rights under copyright, although one gets enhanced benefits--such as the right to sue for damages, a powerful thing--with a copyright registration.

And with or without a registration, one still needs to prove infringement--the same proof requirement is still there.

 

[lpwcomp]

Was just correcting as to the nature of copyright, which is important to note: one needn't do anything to have legal rights under copyright, although one gets enhanced benefits--such as the right to sue for damages, a powerful thing--with a copyright registration.

And with or without a registration, one still needs to prove infringement--the same proof requirement is still there.

Yes, but it's more difficult to prove that you created it first.

 

[Mikeguy]

Yes, but it's more difficult to prove that you created it first.

That's a good point and another good reason to seek a copyright registration, which perhaps you were getting at: with your copyright registration, there is a legal presumption of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the copyright registration certificate--including the date of the creation of the registered work--if the registration was within 5 years of the first publication of the work. This could be very valuable, in a trial. But even so, if the dates of creation become an issue, expect a battle--this is only a presumption, not irrefutable proof.

Not to digress here (sorry, folks), but it can be a fascinating field, and lead to fascinating lawsuits and trials. And now, back to our regularly-scheduled programming . . . .

 

[Dan203]

Q2: I later downloaded and installed the new pyTivo desktop app (Win 10). I gave it the MAK and Tivo recordings folder path, but left everything else defaults. It can't find any tivos. Any ideas why?

Did you still have the old pyTivo running? They can't be running at the same time, they will conflict.